The Comenius University Rector welcomes the Turkish ambassador
On 10 May 2017, the Comenius University Rector, Professor Karol Mičieta, and the Comenius University Vice-Rector for International Relations, Professor Daniela Ostatníková, welcomed the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkey to Slovakia, Aslıgül Üğdül, who was accompanied by her adviser, Birey Yılmazsoy.
Comenius University Rector, Professor Karol Mičieta, and Comenius University Vice-Rector, Professor Daniela Ostatníková, informed the ambassador about the extent of bilateral partnerships between Comenius University and universities in Istanbul and Ankara as well as with Uludağ University in Bursa as a part of the Erasmus+ programme. They discussed the possibilities of expanding mutual partnerships, for instance, in the areas of history and archaeology, and the possibilities of exchanging students, scientists, and teachers in the structure of European Union programmes.
In answer to the expression of concern over the current events in Turkey, including the lack of respect for academic freedom and the dismissal and persecution of thousands of professors and teachers at partner universities following the unsuccessful coup attempt in July 2016, the Turkish ambassador said that she hoped that there would be a stabilization in the academic environment which would allow the return of a considerable number of professors and other teachers to their academic positions once security concerns had been resolved and after the end of the state of emergency.
The ambassador and adviser expressed an interest in preserving a balance in the reciprocity of exchanges of Turkish and Slovak students, which has been considerably affected by the concerns of Slovak students and their parents given the security situation in Turkey and the presence of terrorism. They also presented the possibility of awarding scholarships from the Turkish government.
Branislav Slyško